Marcus North: The Australian is set to be named England’s selector

North will join head coach Brendon McCullum, director of cricket Rob Key and the Test and limited-overs captains – Stokes and Harry Brook – in selecting England teams, with some input into the final line-up for the matches. Director of Performance Ed Barney and Head of Player Identification David Court are also involved in the selection process.

North’s brief will include taking part in England selection, liaising with counties and leading a team of scouts.

Under McCullum, England often overlooked players who had proven themselves in county cricket in favor of players they believed possessed the attributes of international cricket. Perhaps the North’s role was to provide a balance to England’s ways.

His involvement may only be limited in the team selection process for the first Test against New Zealand, starting at Lord’s on June 4.

The team’s lineup is scheduled to be announced in the week beginning May 18, with the England national team’s training camp starting in Loughborough on May 25.

In the wake of the heavy loss in Australia, Stokes’ side are likely to look for a new opener to replace Zak Crawley.

Durham’s Emilio Guy and Somerset’s James Rowe will be the main contenders and could be selected in the squad for the first Test.

The identity of England’s front-line spinners and seamers to join the fast bowling department will also be up for debate.

About 80 candidates applied for the selection position in April. It was then narrowed down through initial conversations, leading to final interviews.

In its call for applications, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said it was looking for “substantial professional experience and intimate knowledge of international and first-class cricket, including knowledge of emerging players and the county network”.

The ECB added that applicants must have “demonstrable experience in identifying talent”, “strong understanding of data and analytics within cricket” and “ability to manage relationships with cricketers at international and county level”.